Overview:
Evan Schemenauer is a Saskatoon based NLL writer. Random thoughts is a weekly column which outlines a wide variety of thoughts that Evan has on the NLL and lacrosse world!
Note: The opinions in this column are Evan's personal thoughts. They do not reflect the opinions of other members of the LC Daily Staff.
My random thoughts…
I’ve been away for a few weeks learning all the nuances about sustainability accounting and reporting. Its been information overload but a terribly interesting foray into how business will evolve in the coming years and decades. Thankfully this was a weekend with no games in Saskatoon as we all had to shovel 3 feet of snow out of our driveways this weekend.
A lot has changed in the last three weeks. Upsets continue to happen. The race for the last few playoff spots remains ultra tight, making every game that much more critical. Something tells me that by Easter, I’ll be writing the book on playoff scenarios again. Thankfully with everyone playing everyone, that should make things simpler, except if teams played one another twice and split, or there’s a three way tie and everyone beat everyone once.
You know what, never mind, let’s cross that bridge when it comes.
The Black Bears
Of course, as soon as I have to go on break, the news is announced about the Riptide moving to Ottawa.
I don’t think this comes as a massive surprise to many and with the Nassau Coliseum being torn down, there wasn’t a choice that a new home needed to be found. I perhaps have a far more open mind about the move than others. The name and colours are something that works within the landscape of Ottawa, where you have the Senators and the RedBlacks of the CFL. I’ve heard the concerns about games being in Kanata and whether crowds will drive out there to go to games.
Without any recent basis to tell me if the market will work or not, I’ll make that judgement when we have tangible results.
The partnership with the Senators is interesting because Senators aren’t the majority owners of the team but are providing significant management services. That partnership will go a long way to getting the season ticket holder or casual hockey fan to check out the Black Bears. If you look at the season ticket prices, they are very reasonable, maxing out at C$299 for prime seats. Hopefully that will draw people in early.
Some were surprised by the timing of the announcement while the Riptide were still playing in New York. The key here though is that for the Black Bears to take advantage of their partnership with the Senators to drive season ticket sales, they need to start the promotion before the Senators’ season is over. Yes, the early announcement makes it more difficult to sell tickets in Nassau, but any losses in Nassau are gained easily next season in Ottawa by having the marketing in place early.
There was also the concern that the NLL doesn’t have a team in New York and what that means for a pro league not having a team in New York. I disagree with the notion that this is a problem for the league.
If the NLL had a very lucrative television deal and every market was selling 10,000+ tickets, then yes, missing out on a major market like New York would be a problem. The difference (for now) is that the NLL has a history of working well in markets that critics would never have thought would work and worked poorly in markets many thought would be great. For now, the NLL needs to focus on getting in markets that will support their teams at the gate, and once that is established, then attempt to compete for the sports dollar in larger but more crowded markets.
Aftermath in Saskatchewan
I stated over a month ago that the Rush needed to win three of their next four games to remain relevant in the playoff race. Perhaps lost in the game back on February 24th where they were embarrassed at home 19-6 to Halifax, is that the Rush have indeed won three of their last four games.
If we go back to the loss against Halifax, there’s not one part of the Rush’s game that you can look at with much positivity. The offence was terrible as Halifax took away the long-range bouncer that was their achilles heel. The defence was terrible. The Rush won only a few faceoffs all night. Frank Scigliano had a terrible game. But even worse, the Rush left Frank out there for way too long.
The Rush have a busy schedule in March and April, and Frank needs to have his time managed. To keep him out there that long when the game is over, you can rest him and get Hruska some reps that he’ll need when the Rush have their multi game weekends coming up, just didn’t make sense.
Outside of that though, the Rush are working their way towards a playoff spot, and the gloom amongst many fans shouldn’t be as big as it is. What’s more concerning though for Rush fans are the dwindling crowds.
From 2016-18, the Rush were leading or at a minimum in the top three in average attendance in the league. What happened on the 24th was the ultimate sign of how bad the crowds have become. It wasn’t obvious on the stream, but the upper bowl on the camera side was curtained off. Season ticket holders on that side were moved to seats on the opposite side.
Even more shocking was to see the Rush put tickets on sale for the game against the Rock for $25 for platinum level seats. This is concerning because season ticket holders have seen their value being eroded away, and many that remain aren’t happy, and are getting more vocal. I have never seen so many people get up and leave in third quarter as I did back on the 24th.
It’s not unusual that attendance drops off a bit after a team moves into a market. The difference was the Rush attendance increased over time, held at near sell outs for a while, and now the building is approaching 35% full (in-seat attendance).
Am I dropping my season tickets? Unlikely. Will others? Its possible.
The Rush are performing quite well on the road this season. The hardcore fans will tune into the streams to watch them online. The casual fan won’t be watching. They’ll only see the home results. I can’t understate how critical it is for the Rush to make the playoffs to get fans’ confidence back and get butts back in the seats. But they also need home wins to raise the confidence of the fan base.
What do the Rush need to do to make the playoffs? They need wins soon, as their last four games will be tough. They play Calgary twice in a home and home weekend, followed by San Diego and Toronto. The last three games are all at home. Given how tough the end is though, and you need to expect to be 9-9 to make the playoffs, the Rush need to go 3-1 in their next four games to give them a good chance at making the playoffs.
It won’t be easy, but its possible. They play Buffalo this weekend with the status of Matt Vinc unknown. They then play the Riptide back-to-back (on separate weekends) at a time the Riptide have taken a step backwards. Then on the same weekend they play in Nassau, they travel to Georgia.
The biggest test ahead though is a stretch between March 22 and April 6 where they play 5 games in 16 days. They’ll need to be net positive over those 5 games to stay alive.
Trade Deadline
The NLL’s trade deadline is coming up on March 12th. Unlike the NHL, the NLL’s trade deadline isn’t nearly as active, mainly because if an elite player leaves after the season as a UFA, and the team doesn’t sign someone equivalent to replace them, the team receives a compensatory draft pick. That means if another team wants to acquire that upcoming UFA at the trade deadline, they also have to reimburse their current team for the compensatory value the player holds.
One of the other difficulties that could arise this trade deadline is that of the 8 teams currently in playoff position, only two of them are out west. If there are available players, but they have less flexible jobs and ability to travel, they might not be a fit for a rental player out east.
This upcoming weekend will be telling as to who’s a contender and who decides its time to build for next year. Keep in mind that a team likely needs a record of 9-9 to make the playoffs and an 8-10 record would likely require some help to get them in.
Here’s some players in my mind to watch as potential trade targets.
Aaron Bold
Yes, Bold has had his struggles this season, but goaltending is tough to find. Any team that needs to shore up their backup position, especially if there are any injury concerns with their starter, can make the call to get Boldy as a rental.
Ryan Dilks
Dilks still has one year left in his contract which makes him a more enticing, but also a more expensive option. Buffalo wanted to get Dilks in the offseason and need defensive help more than ever. Do they pull the trigger and does Dilks make the move to play for another championship this year?
Brett Mydske
it would be tough to see the Warriors trade their captain, but Mydske is 35 years old now, and has a wealth of playoff experience. Any team looking to shore up their defense should be making the call. Mydske is a UFA in August. He can always return to Vancouver next season.
Kyle Killen
Killen isn’t an upcoming UFA, but there’s geographical considerations here as Killen has a long flight every home game. Teams looking for righty depth on the east coast may have a home for Killen.
Chris Wardle
The Mammoth’s season is effectively over at 8 losses already. Wardle is a UFA this summer, and so is Ryan Lee, so the Mammoth need to save their franchise tag in the event they can’t sign Lee. Wardle may be an enticing piece for a team to pick up.
Paul Dawson
Any team looking to add some toughness out the back door may look at Dawson, who is 38 and a UFA this summer, as an opportunity that won’t cost a 1st round pick.
Joey Cupido
It would be difficult to think of Cupido in anything but a Mammoth jersey, but he’s a UFA this summer. Any team looking for transition help that is looking to resurrect the lightning of old may be picking up the phone.
Adrian Sorichetti
Sorichetti’s location and career might limit his options as to where he could land, but if he has some flexibility, he would be another option that Buffalo could look at, especially given his championship experience.
Zack Greer
Greer’s non-lacrosse career does limit his ability to play every game, but the potential for a trade to Panther City, where he’s close to home, might be enticing to the purple and black.
Rob Hellyer
Someone mentioned this possibility to me this week, and I think its unlikely given his leadership position in Vegas and the price that the Desert Dogs paid to acquire him. But he is a franchiseable UFA, so anything is possible.
Casey Jackson
He’s another player that has geographical limitations, but as an upcoming UFA that can reject the franchise tag, he may have trade value that can help the Desert Dogs.
Jacob Ruest
Once again, an upcoming UFA that has the ability to play out either door, that is sure to entice some teams.
Curtis Knight
A pending UFA with championship experience says it all. Could a team like the Riptide that are looking for help at righty forward swing a deal?
Dan Coates
Coates has been on the IR for a while now, but if he’s able to return, would certainly be a target for several teams. The difficulty could be the compensatory 1st round pick that Rochester would lose that would have to come back in the trade.
Rule Changes
As I sat watching the Roughnecks vs Wings game, I noticed myself slightly frustrated at a few items in the game which I would have wanted a change in the NLL rules. None of these are earth shattering, just minor adjustments in the game to assist matters. Here’s my list:
- If the ball deflects off the stick or body of a defender, other than the goaltender, and out of play, the shot clock does not reset. Its my understanding this was looked at last offseason and was not implemented. This rule change would make it consistent with basketball.
- After an unsuccessful penalty shot, play restarts with the non-offending team taking possession instead of a faceoff.
- Just like is already done with illegal substitutions, any delay of game penalty in the last 2 minutes of regulation or anytime in overtime, is a penalty shot. This also makes it consistent with hockey rules.
- When a penalty shot is awarded, the non-offending team has the option of taking the penalty shot, or having their opponent short a player for 2 minutes. This was the rule when I refereed the World Ball Hockey Championships, although nobody ever took the option.
- When a team on offense gets a reset, the shot clock resets to 20 seconds (unless there were more than 20 seconds on the shot clock at the point of the reset). This makes the rule consistent with the NBA and the PLL.
- The determining factor for a shot clock violation is when the ball is released as opposed to when it crosses the goal line or strikes the post or goaltender. Especially on a goal, its far easier to determine when the ball was released compared to the shot clock as opposed to whether the ball crossed the line before the expiration of the shot clock. This also makes the rule consistent with other levels of lacrosse and basketball.
- When reviewing a major, officials have the ability to upgrade majors to 5+GM or a match penalty.
Sponsored Free Streams
I have spoken about the various options when it comes to streaming lacrosse in the summer at length in the past, but since the summer lacrosse season is just around the corner, its probably good time for a refresher.
We have seen over the past several years, but especially in the past two years, two different models of webcasting summer lacrosse, and particularly the four main men’s national championships in the Mann Cup, the President’s Cup, the Minto Cup and Founder’s Cup.
The first model is the traditional pay per view. If you want access to the stream, you pay a fee for the game or the entire tournament. The second model is the sponsored free stream route, where the games are free to stream, typically on YouTube, and the hopeful profit is made by selling advertising.
The results of the two have been dramatically different when it comes to viewers. If we look at a few of the examples from the last two years, the 2023 President’s Cup, which was a sponsored free stream, averaged around 6,000 viewers per game for the round robin and the final had 10,000 viewers. Very similar numbers were achieved for the Founders Cup, which for players in Junior B, is the best exposure they could have received.
The 2022 Minto Cup was also a sponsored free stream event, and game 3 of the final had in excess of 25,000 viewers. The free stream put Matieu Gautier and several of his Miners teammates front and center when it came to their draft prospects in the NLL. The same could be said for Levi Anderson’s anticipation of joining the NLL next year and Mike Triolo getting another chance in the NLL with his performance in the Prezzy.
On the flip side, the 2023 Minto Cup was a PPV event, charging $20/game. So was the 2023 Mann Cup and the WLA has been on the same model for many years. The broadcaster for the deciding game in the 2023 WLA finals was excited that they had 1,000 viewers.
For me personally, any PPV event is something that I desperately need to watch in order to buy it, and I’ll maybe buy only a few games each summer. I didn’t watch a single game of the Minto last year. I believe I bought one game of the Mann. When it came to the Prezzy and the Founders, I watched almost every game.
The numbers don’t lie. If you want eyes on your event, you need a sponsored free stream. If you want your players to have maximum exposure, you need a sponsored free stream. Yes, there is more work to do to get the sponsors in place, but you still have in excess of 5 months to get your sponsors in place. If you insist on a PPV model, don’t expect to grow the game, and don’t expect to have a large number of viewers.
Personally, if it’s a sponsored free stream, I don’t care if there is a banner on the top or bottom of the stream the entire game with the sponsor’s logo. I don’t care if there are four or more ad reads per period. I don’t care if the entire intermission is a loop of sponsors ads. It’s all a part of raising the funds necessary to pay the bills and make sponsored free streaming viable.
I write this on the heels of the 2024 President’s Cup in Ladner announcing that they will have a sponsored free stream on BC Sports TV. There will also be an all-star lineup when it comes to the broadcast booth for this event. Last year I found BC Sports TV’s rates very reasonable to sponsor a game. If you have the ability to advertise at the Prezzy, please do contact BC Sports TV and help keep lacrosse streaming for free.
I will also challenge Lacrosse Canada to amend the streaming requirement for these events to be sponsored free streaming as it benefits them far better and helps them grow the game.
Until next time…
Rule change suggestion:
An unsuccessful challenge results in a 2min minor penalty
This also would be consistent with Hockey rules
It does, unless you still have a timeout to use. I like this rule the way it is now.
As with Ottawa people keep saying Td Place the reality is it fully booked.The 67s play there as well as the PWHL team then you add Carleton and U of Ottawa that have a few games there plus all the events.
I couldn’t agree more Evan ! If it’s a ppv prezy or man or Minto I’m out and it will haunt me but I do get by. If it’s sponsored I’m watching every game I can. Hope they can make this happen for all championships it does grow the game 100%.